As vegetarians, my husband and I have incorporated a variety of alternative protein sources into our diet. Obviously, we enjoy veggie soy patties, tofu, and some soy cheese alternatives. Another obvious one would be nuts, which was fine since I grew up a peanut butter lover. However, a few years ago I developed an intolerance for peanuts, probably not a full-blown allergy, but the symptoms that followed eating raw peanuts certainly were enough to keep me away. My husband has experienced similar problems recently. So we've moved on to slightly healthier nuts. As I mentioned in an earlier post, almonds are a favorite here. We've also moved on to other nut butters to replace peanut butter, and one of them, as you may have guessed, is almond butter.
Blue Diamond Almond Butter
We tried different almond butter brands with varying degrees of satisfaction, but so far, Blue Diamond, not surprisingly the same company that makes Almond Breeze, has been the one we've liked best. We've tried two of Blue Diamond's creamy almond butters, and this is what we found.
First of all, you can choose from the Homestyle and the ReadySpread. Both have that wonderful almond flavor I love so much and190 calories per serving (2 tablespoons) and 17 grams of fat. The ReadySpread is just that, a bit more moist, mixed well already, and can be spread on a sandwich, toast, or crackers immediately. If you don't have the time to stir it well yourself, this is the one you will want to reach for. But keep in mind that this one is does contain evaporated cane juice and palm oil, which keep it moist.
The Homestyle caught my eye because ingredients list consisted only of almonds and sea salt. If you want a truly sugar-free almond butter, this is it. But this too comes with a cost. This one you have to mix, and you have to mix it well. Otherwise, your almond butter will be chunky, and toward the top, it will be too moist and oily, and at the bottom, almost too dry to spread.
Both are good, healthy nut butters. You lose a bit of the nutrients with the ReadySpread since some of your almonds are being replaced with cane juice and palm oil to make it moist, but if that's all you can find, it is a healthier alternative to peanut butter.
See for Yourself
Our local grocery store was, unfortunately, out of our preferred Homestyle, so what you are seeing here is the ReadySpread. As you can see, it looks moist and smooth.
Blue Diamond Almond Butter
We tried different almond butter brands with varying degrees of satisfaction, but so far, Blue Diamond, not surprisingly the same company that makes Almond Breeze, has been the one we've liked best. We've tried two of Blue Diamond's creamy almond butters, and this is what we found.
First of all, you can choose from the Homestyle and the ReadySpread. Both have that wonderful almond flavor I love so much and190 calories per serving (2 tablespoons) and 17 grams of fat. The ReadySpread is just that, a bit more moist, mixed well already, and can be spread on a sandwich, toast, or crackers immediately. If you don't have the time to stir it well yourself, this is the one you will want to reach for. But keep in mind that this one is does contain evaporated cane juice and palm oil, which keep it moist.
The Homestyle caught my eye because ingredients list consisted only of almonds and sea salt. If you want a truly sugar-free almond butter, this is it. But this too comes with a cost. This one you have to mix, and you have to mix it well. Otherwise, your almond butter will be chunky, and toward the top, it will be too moist and oily, and at the bottom, almost too dry to spread.
Both are good, healthy nut butters. You lose a bit of the nutrients with the ReadySpread since some of your almonds are being replaced with cane juice and palm oil to make it moist, but if that's all you can find, it is a healthier alternative to peanut butter.
See for Yourself
Our local grocery store was, unfortunately, out of our preferred Homestyle, so what you are seeing here is the ReadySpread. As you can see, it looks moist and smooth.
And observe how nicely it spreads on this slice of whole wheat bread.
So what is your favorite peanut butter alternative?
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